Jupiter

a large planet, sixth in the order of Bode's Law, between the asteroids and Saturn. It is a brilliant planet, which, with its large size, entitled it, in the opinion of the Romans, to the name of their chief deity. As compared with the earth, Jupiter is five times as far from the sun. Its surface is 122 and its bulk 1,355 times that of the earth. In bulk it is larger than all the other planets put together. Jupiter is not dense, but, owing to its great size, its mass is about 317 times that of the earth. A person would weigh about 2 2/3 times as much on Jupiter as he does on the earth. Under the telescope the surface of Jupiter is curiously marked with cloudy belts parallel to its equator. Jupiter turns on its axis with great rapidity, so its day is a little less than ten of our hours. Four satellites of Jupiter were the first discovery made by Galileo with his new telescope. A fifth was discovered in 1892. See Planets; Satellites